Perspective

Pittsburgh-born, Yale-educated David McCullough is fond of the writing about the Age of Progress following the American Civil War. He is attracted to the great persons who dream up massive projects for the benefit of humanity and of the common people who work, suffer, and die making the dreams come true. John, Washington, and Emily Roebling, to whom the Great Bridge owes its existence, live in Brooklyn myth but have never before been studied systematically.

Having lived in Brooklyn, McCullough is sentimental about the great landmark, whose construction overlaps the period of another project to which he devotes a monograph, the Panama Canal. In his "Author's Note," McCullough admits he has no engineering background but says he does not shy away from dealing with technological matters, and the portions require several readings. In this book, as in general, McCullough writes history for everyday readers, helping them hear, taste...